Water experts say economic development needs caution

Water experts say Southwest Georgia economic developers need to use caution bringing new industry to the region, to take advantage of the abundance of the natural resource.

With only about one half inch of rain in the last five weeks South Georgia creeks and rivers are near historic low levels.

Still Southwest Georgia has some of the best water resources in the state, and economic developers point that out to prospective industries.

But water experts say agriculture already is straining the supply following years of drought.

"It's certainly something the economic developers and people can look at. But we also have to temper that understanding that we already have a lot out and have to be readily smart as to how we develop more of it," said Mark Masters, Flint River Water Planning & Policy Center Research Asst.

Masters says revisions pending on the Flint River Drought Protection Act are scheduled to be heard in the legislature session in January and that South Georgia farmers are watching those closely.